James M. Stephens
2
Cucumbers, often dubbed "cukes," are a popular garden crop throughout Florida
because they are easy to grow and are so well-liked in both fresh and pickled
forms (see
Table 2
for recipe). At one season or another they may be grown successfully in all
areas of the state. Ample space must be provided since the cucumber is a vining
plant.
Cucumber is well-adapted to container culture and to trellising. Planting
alongside the garden fence is one popular way to provide a ready made trellis.
Cucumber is a warm-season crop. Injury due to frost and cold winds may be
expected when temperatures drop into the thirties.
VARIETIES
Seed companies offer a wide assortment of named varieties of cucumbers from
which the gardener may choose. Many of these may give satisfactory results when
grown in Florida and should be planted on a trial basis. The following
varieties are suggested based on general availability of seed and satisfactory
performance under Florida conditions.
Slicers
Fruits of these varieties are generally used uncooked in salads or vinegar;
however, young "cukes" may be pickled (see
Table 2
for recipe).
Marketer
Old standard variety fair yielding, but susceptible to
diseases.
Supersett
disease resistant hybrid gynoecious (all female flowers) variety.
Dasher II
Early gynoecious hybrid produces lots of 8-inch fruits in Florida.
Ashley
Good yielding, resistant to downy and powdery mildew diseases.
Fruits shorter than Marketer.
Poinsett
High yielding, good disease resistance. Recent standard variety.
Cherokee
Female flowering (gynoecious) hybrid variety; seeds come mixed with
male pollinator variety. Productive and good disease resistance.
Others worth trying
Sweet Success, Victory, Gemini. New varieties: Striker, Centurian
and Slice Nice. Oddities: White Wonder, Burpless; for hanging baskets, try Pot
Luck.
Pickling Varieties
These fruits are usually much smaller than the slicers, making them ideal for
pickling (see
Table 2
for recipe).
Ohio MR-17
Black-spined, mosaic resistant, vigorous, productive. Fruit
dark-green, warted, blocky, tapered.
Wisconsin SMR-18
Similar to MR-17, except fruits are medium green and resistant to
scab disease.
Other pickling varieties suggested:
male/female flowering SMR-58, Pixie, Galaxy, Chipper and Sumter;
female flowering Carolina, Explorer, Premier, Score, Southern Cross,
Triple Cross, Lucky Strike, Calypso, Miss Pickler.
Greenhouse Varieties
Hobby greenhouse enthusiasts should plant varieties that do not require bees
for pollination. These are called "Parthenocarpic" varieties. They are long,
slender, and seedless. Suggested are: Toska, Femfrance, Fabulous, and La Reine.
Sweet Success is seedless and may be grown either in the greenhouse or the
garden.
PLANTING INFORMATION
Cucumbers are started by planting seeds directly in the garden row or
container. Sow seeds two or three times thicker than the distance suggested
between plants. When first true leaves have formed, thin to desired spacing by
pulling up unwanted plants. Cucumbers can not be transplanted unless growing in
a transplant container.
Table 1
lists when to plant.
WHEN TO PICK
Depending on variety and time of year grown, usually takes 40 to 55 days from
seeding to first picking.
HOW TO PLANT
-
Seeds required per 100 foot of row ½ ounce.
-
Seeds required per acre 2 pounds.
-
Row width 3 to 4 feet.
-
Distance between plants in the row 4-8 inches.
-
Depth of seeds ½ to ¾ inch.
SOIL PREPARATION
A lot of work either chopping, spading, rototilling, or discing may be needed
to get the soil ready to plant. Furthermore, acidic soils may need liming, and
all will need fertilizing before planting the seeds. Lots of organic matter,
such as compost, is beneficial.
LIMING
Cucumbers grow best on slightly acid soils - or pH 5.8 to 6.5. Lime should be
applied if soil tests shows pH 5.5 or less. Your Extension Agricultural Agent
can advise you on the exact amount and kind of lime needed. However, 3 to 5
pounds of dolomitic limestone per 100 square feet, applied 1 to 3 months prior
to planting, will usually be enough.
If soil pH is 6.5 or higher, minor plant foods such as iron and manganese
should be applied either with the fertilizer to the soil or in a spray on the
foliage. Compost and manures also can supply these micronutrients.
FERTILIZING
When preparing the cucumber row for planting, scatter (broadcast) one quart of
garden fertilizer to every 25 foot length of row. Rake or chop this into the
soil to a depth of about 3 to 4 inches. Then shape-up the bed. Now open shallow
furrows about 3 inches on either side of the seed drill. Distribute one-half
quart of the fertilizer in 25 feet of each furrow. Cover the fertilizer with
soil and then water the prepared area before planting. This is all the
fertilizer needed until the plants are growing. Every two or three weeks apply
a little fertilizer by hand to the side of each plant and then water into the
soil. The total amount of fertilizer needed to grow a 25 foot long row of
cucumbers is about 4 quarts (6 pounds). Compost or animal manure such as aged
chicken litter, can be substituted at ½ lb/sq ft.
CARING FOR THE PLANTS
The cucumbers will grow and produce with just a little care and attention about
twice a week. Here are some things to watch for:
Weeds
Keep weeds pulled or hoed a foot or more from each plant. Do not use
herbicides.
Insects
Watch for aphids, leaf miners, beetles, and fruit worms. If the
insects become a severe problem, spray or dust with an approved insecticide.
Wait until after 10 A.M. to spray so that bees are not killed.
Diseases
Cucumbers have quite a few disease enemies that may injure or
destroy the plants. The first that might be noticed attacks the small seedling
as it comes up. This seedling disease is called "damping off." It is best
prevented by planting seeds that have been treated with a fungicide.
The foliage is often next to be bothered. Most leaf-spotting diseases, some of
which are called mildews, can be controlled by weekly spraying or dusting with
one of the approved fungicides. Downy and powdery mildew are most often
encountered on some varieties.
Fruit rot and diseases are best prevented by mulching to keep the fruits off
the ground.
Plant Disease Resistant Varieties
The primary diseases to which varieties are most often resistant are:
anthracnose (A); angular leaf spot (A/S); bacterial wilt (B); downy mildew (D);
mosaic virus (M); powdery mildew (P); and scab (S).
WATERING
Keep the soil in the root zone well-moistened. Encourage deep rooting by
watering thoroughly once or twice per week. Mixing organics such as compost
into the soil helps conserve water. Consider using drip irrigation as this
method conserves water and may improve yields.
PROBLEMS
In addition to the insect and disease problems already mentioned, other
problems sometimes occur.
Poor pollination
Bees are needed to transfer pollen from male to female blossoms.
Unless there is enough bee activity, fruits may drop or be poorly shaped. Do
not be disturbed at the normal dropping of male flowers from the plant.
Nematode injury
The roots of cucumbers are quite often attacked and injured by
root-knot and other nematodes. Solarization and crop rotation are the two best
ways to help solve this problem.
HARVESTING
Pick cucumbers while they are still tender, crisp and green. Remove large
fruits from the vine so that new fruits are encouraged to grow. Small young
slicing cucumbers may be used for pickling also (see
Table 2
for recipe). Pickling types make poor slicers because they get soft so fast.
Bitterness is associated with a bitter substance in the peel. It is not known
for certain why some fruits are more bitter than others. Peel toward the stem
end so that the bitter principle is not spread from a point of high
concentration (stem end) to the rest of the peeled fruit.
Tables
Table 1.
Table 1.
When to Plant.
|
North Florida (North of Ocala)
|
Fall Garden
|
August - September
|
Winter Garden
|
Too cold outdoors
|
Spring Garden
|
February - April
|
Summer Garden
|
Too hot/humid for best results
|
Central Florida (Ocala-S. to Arcadia)
|
Fall Garden
|
September
|
Winter Garden
|
Too cold outdoors
|
Spring Garden
|
January - March
|
Summer Garden
|
Too hot/humid for best results
|
South Florida (S of Arcadia to Key West)
|
Fall Garden
|
September - October
|
Winter Garden
|
November - December
|
Spring Garden
|
January - March
|
Summer Garden
|
Too hot and humid
|
Table 2.
Table 2.
Recipe for Sweet Cucumber Pickle
|
1à gallon sliced cucumbers, cut â-inch thick
|
1 gallon white vinegar
|
8 cups sugar
|
â cup pure salt
|
3 tablespoons mixed pickling spice
|
1 cup builder's (slacked) lime
|
2 gallons water
|
Dissolve lime in 2 gallons of water. Put sliced cucumbers into lime solution
for 24 hours. Drain off lime water; add fresh water and allow to stand for 4
hours. Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and pickling spices. Heat to dissolve
sugar, but do not boil. Remove sliced cucumbers from water, put into vinegar
solution and simmer 2 hours. Pack into standard pint canning jars. Adjust lids.
Place jars in boiling water-bath canner. Be sure water comes an inch or two
above the jar tops. Count processing time when water returns to boiling. Boil
gently and steadily for 5 minutes. Remove jars, set upright several inches
apart and cool.
|
Footnotes
1.
This document is Fact Sheet HS-511, a series of the Horticultural Sciences
Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Reviewed for CD-ROM: April 1994.
2.
James M. Stephens, professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, Cooperative
Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of
Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal
opportunity/affirmative
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race
color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. For information on obtaining
other
extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service
office.
Florida Cooperative Extension Service / Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences /
University of Florida / Christine Taylor Waddill, Dean
Copyright Information
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